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John Orloski's vegetable garden is so abundant in vegetables and herbs an entire meal, including dessert, could be prepared from the produce. Orloski grows everything from basil to zucchini in his garden. With more than 25 varieties of herb, vegetable and fruit plants, Orloski uses his bounty to prepare meals and enhance dishes.

Orloski uses Swiss chard, from the beet and spinach family of vegetables, in his Italian wedding soup. The cucumbers and herbs from his garden later become crock pickles. He cooks rhubarb and mixes it with strawberry Jell-O. Orloski also makes potato-leek soup or uses the leeks in scrambled eggs. His wife regularly cans the vegetables.

Orloski won three blue ribbons at the Wilkes-Barre Farmers Market, each one for "Best Variety Basket." He also gives away much of what he grows to friends, neighbors and people in the community. A particular favorite is Orloski's crock pickles, made with a homemade brine.

"It's really just a hobby," said Orloski to which Mrs. Orloski chuckled and said, "More of an obsession."

Orloski began growing crops as a young child, first in his family's garden and later on at a large local farm where Tiffany Court now stands in Edwardsville.

"I was probably 10 years old. I worked in some of the farms, pulling weeds. I worked at Barney Farms for awhile," said Orloski.

He enjoyed working on the farms and learned how to take care of his own gardens as a result. With the exception of an eight-year stint as a Marine, Orloski has kept a vegetable garden ever since. When the Orloskis married and moved into their current home 50 years ago, Orloski broke ground for his garden.

Tucked behind a neat half double home in Courtdale, Orloski's garden has taken on different looks and purposes over the years. Previously, he had several apple trees and a strawberry patch. The fruits were so popular with the local deer that Orloski soon had to cut down the trees and take out the strawberry plants. A flower garden also graced the backyard area, but Orloski stopped growing them due to the amount of work it required.

Giving a tour of his garden, Orloski proudly points out the various crops he's grown. Cordoned off by a simple metal fence, the small size of Orloski's garden belies the volume of crops and herbs within its borders. Tomato plants, sage, pole beans, chives, radishes, kohlrabi, eggplant, Swiss chard and winter cabbage all find a home inside the fenced section. Rhubarb, leeks, dill, cucumbers, carrots and red beets grow in neat rows surrounding the outside of the fence.

Orloski's garden is often a family affair with two of his grandsons, Nicholas and Jacob Elko, cutting grass and tilling the soil. Orloski's daughter, Joann Elko, often worked with her father in the garden while growing up too. Like many growers, Orloski uses certain practices to optimize the harvest in his garden. He makes his own compost using yard waste, over ripe fruits and table scraps.

"Leaves and grass cuttings. That's what I use to make my own compost. Best you can get. The more leaves the better," said Orloski.

He also starts his own seed in his small greenhouse near the garden. Orloski uses a starter mix with perlite, a mineral, to encourage the seeds to germinate. Once the seedlings sprout, Orloski sows them in his garden or a container in the greenhouse, depending on the plant.

However, one of the vegetables he grows requires no soil at all - the potato. Orloski cultivates the root vegetable in large containers using only straw.

" Just use straw in a big container. As they (potatoes) grow, keep putting in more straw. Then they bloom. Don't need any soil. When they bloom and dry out, empty it out and you'll have nice, fresh potatoes," said Orloski.

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